With increasing development of personal computers and networks, the services provided through networks are becoming more and more appealing in various applications. A data center is a facility used to house computers or servers. For providing intensive network applications, the numbers of computers or servers need to be increased. Under this circumstance, the mechanism of distributing electric power in the data center becomes an important issue.
Generally, a power distribution unit (PDU) is used to distribute electric power among the computers or servers of the data center. For designing a power distribution unit, the kind of utility power to be provided to the power distribution unit and the location of the power distribution unit should be determined in advance. According to the kind of utility power and the location of the power distribution unit, an exclusive power distribution unit is assembled. Therefore, the power distribution unit fails to be used in another data center with different specifications.
Due to globalization, international corporations usually build many data centers in different countries or regions in order to increase the efficiency of the data centers. As known, the utility power specifications (e.g. 120/400 volt, 3-phase, 4-wire or 220 volt, 1-phase, 2-wire) for different countries or regions may be distinguished. For complying with the utility power specifications, the data centers in different countries or regions have respective exclusive power distribution units. In a case that a power distribution unit has a breakdown, the maintenance worker may replace the power distribution unit with a new one that complies with the desired utility power specification. As, the cost and difficulty associated with maintenance are increased.
For increasing the overall operating efficiency of the data center, the location of the data center may be changed. Since the utility power specification at the new location is changed, the power distribution unit of the data center fails to be used. It is necessary to purchase or design a new power distribution unit to comply with the new utility power specification, which increases the cost and wastes resource.
For solving the above drawbacks, the manufactures usually produce many kinds of power distribution units in order to comply with different utility power specifications. Since different power distribution units have different component specification, the complexity of assembling the power distribution units and the fabricating cost are both increased.
Therefore, there is a need of providing a power distribution unit so as to obviate the drawbacks encountered in the prior art.